CONFERENCE PROGRAM
Conference Host
Center for Science and Mathematics
Education Research
The Center for Science and Mathematics Education
Research at the
The main objectives of the
Center are to:
·
redesign introductory courses in mathematics and the
sciences based upon mathematics, chemistry, earth sciences, and physics
education research
·
create attractive, content-rich teacher preparation
and continuing education options for mathematics and science teachers that
integrate content and pedagogy
·
spearhead partnerships with public school teachers
and University faculty to understand how student interest and achievement in
mathematics and science are enhanced
·
develop materials to form the basis for a statewide
or national curriculum based on cultivating mathematics and science thinking
through inquiry models.
The Center aims to become a source of well-qualified
science and mathematics teachers for grades K-12 as well as a leader in
creating coherent, developmentally-appropriate curricula for mathematics and
science for grades 6-16.
Center
projects have received funding from the U.S. Department of Education, the
National Science Foundation, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the Arthur
Vining Davis Foundations, and the Bank of America Company, trustee of the Lloyd
G. Balfour Foundation. For further
information about the Center, its Master of Science in Teaching (MST) Program,
and its research projects, please contact Professor Susan R. McKay, Center Director.
Conference
Support
The Center for Science and Mathematics Education Research gratefully acknowledges support for this conference received from the National Science Foundation Teacher Professional Continuum Program, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, and the Bank of America Company, trustee of the Lloyd G. Balfour Foundation.
Keynote Speaker -
Dr.Joe Schwarcz
HEY! THERE ARE COCKROACHES IN MY CHOCOLATE ICE CREAM!
No, there really are no cockroaches in chocolate ice
cream. But one of my radio listeners did
jump to this conclusion after misinterpreting what had been said about a
certain food colorant. Being on one end
of a microphone and in front of television cameras for over twenty years has
afforded some fascinating insight into the public's perception of science. It has also provided an opportunity to
separate sense from nonsense in areas ranging from nutrition and medications to
cosmetics and pesticides. This highly
visual and entertaining presentation examines some serious as well as some
frivolous experiences in dealing with the public and emphasizes the importance
of fostering critical thinking.
Director,
McGill Office for Science and Society
Joe Schwarcz (PhD McGill 1973) is Director of McGill University’s
Office for Science and Society which is dedicated to demystifying science for
the public, the media and students. He
is also a professor in the chemistry department and teaches nutrition and
alternative medicine in McGill’s
“Dr. Joe” appears on the Canadian Discovery Channel, TV Ontario, Global
Television, CBC-TV, CTV-TV and various radio stations. He hosts the "Dr. Joe Show" on
Schedule-at-a-Glance
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Time |
Event |
Location |
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Registration |
Stewart Dining
Commons Lobby |
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Cash Bar &
hors d’oeuvres |
Stewart Dining
Commons |
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Dinner Banquet |
Stewart Dining
Commons |
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Opening Keynote |
Dr. Joe Schwarcz Director, McGill
Office for Science and Society |
Stewart Dining
Commons |
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Time |
Event |
Location |
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Registration |
Little Hall Foyer |
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Continental
Breakfast |
Little Hall Foyer |
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Session 1: Science and writing |
110 Little Hall |
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Session 2: Mathematics and science
instruction |
120 Little Hall |
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Session 3: Reformed instruction in the
physical sciences |
140 Little Hall |
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Break |
Little Hall Foyer |
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Session 4: Key questions in science and
mathematics |
110 Little Hall |
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Session 5: Technology in the classroom |
120 Little Hall |
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Session 6: Earth sciences |
140 Little Hall |
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Break |
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Lunch |
The Marketplace |
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Poster Session
Set-Up |
Stewart Dining
Commons |
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Poster Session
with Reception and Cash Bar |
Stewart Dining
Commons |
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Dinner on your own |
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Time |
Event |
Location |
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Continental
Breakfast |
Little Hall Foyer |
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Session 7: Student learning in mathematics
I |
110 Little Hall |
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Session 8: Alternative approaches to
mathematics and science instruction |
120 Little Hall |
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Session 9: Teacher preparation in science
and mathematics |
140 Little Hall |
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Break |
Little Hall Foyer |
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Session 10: Increasing student interest in
mathematics and science |
110 Little Hall |
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Session 11: Effective use of laboratory in
science instruction |
120 Little Hall |
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Session 12: Applications
of concepts in advanced settings |
140 Little Hall |
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Break |
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Lunch on your own |
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Open Space Facilitator: Dr. Jon Geiger, Director, Educational
Programs, and Affiliated Scientist, The Jackson Laboratory |
120 Little Hall |
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Cash Bar |
Stewart Dining
Commons |
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Dinner Banquet:
Lobster, Steak, or Vegetarian |
Stewart Dining
Commons |
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Time |
Event |
Location |
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Continental
Breakfast |
Little Hall Foyer |
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Session 13: Conceptual change in science
instruction |
110 Little Hall |
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Session 14: Student learning in mathematics II |
120 Little Hall |
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Session 15: Alternative strategies for
science instruction |
140 Little Hall |
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Break |
Little Hall Foyer |
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Panel Discussion: Delivering
on our promise: Has the conference addressed different communities’ needs? |
120 Little Hall |
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Detailed Presentation
Schedule
Monday, June 26th · Morning Sessions Overview
Tuesday, June
27th · Morning Sessions Overview
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Session Title |
(S7) Student learning in mathematics I |
(S8) Alternative approaches to mathematics and
science instruction |
(S9) Teacher preparation in science and mathematics |
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Chair |
John E. Donovan II |
Gail Dana |
John Thompson |
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Location |
110 Little Hall |
120 Little Hall |
140 Little Hall |
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Teaching, learning, and understanding
trigonometric functions Keith Weber |
Connecting
school and community as a way to improve Jerry
Lipka |
Nicole
Gillespie |
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Kathleen
Knight |
Mathematical methods in the natural
sciences: A self-paced, applied approach Michael
Vorwerk |
In-service primary school teachers in
a force and motion workshop David
Nelson |
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Michelle
Zandieh |
One
step at a time: Working toward change in general chemistry Jennifer Lewis |
Overview of The Board of Science Education Marguerite
Murphy |
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Break |
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Session Title |
(S10) Increasing student interest in mathematics and
science |
(S11) Effective use of laboratory in science
instruction |
(S12) Applications of concepts in
advanced settings |
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Chair |
Amie Gellen |
Mitchell Bruce |
Ed Galindo |
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Location |
110 Little Hall |
120 Little Hall |
140 Little Hall |
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Stephanie
Blaisdell |
Maria T.
Oliver-Hoyo |
Crossing cultural borders for Native
American students in the earth sciences Eric Riggs |
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Project Lead The Way: A solution to
increasing student interest in math and science Patrick
Leaveck |
Development
of laboratories for introductory physics Luanna G. Ortiz |
Richard Yuretich |
Wednesday, June 28th · Morning Sessions Overview
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Session Title |
(S13) Conceptual change in science instruction |
(S14) Student learning in mathematics II |
(S15) Alternative strategies for science instruction |
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Chair |
Susan McKay |
Robert Franzosa |
William Leathem |
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Location |
110 Little Hall |
120 Little Hall |
140 Little Hall |
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Scott
Sowell |
Investigations of student understanding
of thermal physics in the upper division John
Thompson |
Dawn Rickey |
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Investigating the effects of teaching
mathematics in a physics class Michael
Murphy |
Students’ integration methods for first-order
differential equations Katrina
Black |
A comparative study of how students
understand stem cells Jon Moyer |
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The relationship of coherence of thought
and conceptual change to ability Pamela
Kraus |
John Donovan II |
Ed Galindo |
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Break |
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Panel Discussion |
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Location |
120 Little Hall |
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Delivering on our promise: Has the conference
addressed different communities’ needs? Moderated by Susan
McKay, with panelists, Nicole Gillespie, Pamela Kraus, and James Tyson |
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Monday Afternoon Workshops
*Note: Although workshops do not require pre-registration, we
request that you sign up for Monday and Tuesday afternoon workshops at the
registration desk when picking up your registration material.
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Workshop Title |
Facilitator |
Building
& Rm. |
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W1:
Increasing students’ success in college- preparatory
chemistry and in college
general chemistry by remediation of
requisite basic math skills |
William
Cary Kilner |
119 Barrows |
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W2:
Exploring ways to visualize mathematics
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David Meel |
131 Barrows |
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W3:
Two eyes seeing and two eyes hearing |
Ed Galindo |
211 Little |
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W4: Playing cards and thinking about race, class
and culture in the classroom. |
Eric Hsu |
130 Barrows |
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W5: Science
fiction in the science classroom |
Kelly
McCullough Author |
133 Barrows |
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W6: Symmetry and patterns
in contemporary Native American art |
Michelle
Zandieh |
102 Bennett |
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W7: Inquiry-based, hands-on in-class astronomy activities |
Rebecca Lindell Southern |
315 Bennett |
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W8: Using the Conceptual Change Model |
Scott Sowell |
114 Bennett |
Tuesday Afternoon Workshops
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Workshop Title |
Facilitator |
Building & Rm # |
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W9: CANCELLED |
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W10: Science in Native American
communities |
Eric Riggs |
114 Bennett |
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W11: Experiencing math in a cultural context: From everyday activities to
videotape analysis |
Jerry Lipka |
102 Bennett |
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W12:
A constructive approach to teaching trigonometric functions |
Keith Weber |
133 Barrows |
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W13:
Creating gender neutral
problems |
Laura
McCullough |
119 Barrows |
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W14:
A modified approach
to lesson study for secondary science and math
teachers |
Nicole
Gillespie Knowles Science Teaching
Foundation |
131 Barrows |
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W15:
Project Lead The Way: A solution to increasing student interest in
math and science |
Patrick
Leaveck Project Lead the Way |
211 Little |
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W16: That ain’t no way to treat
a lady: Gender equity
in the science and math classroom |
Stephanie Blaisdell Consultant |
315 Bennett |
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W17: AER
101: A beginners’ guide to
conducting astronomy education research |
Rebecca Lindell Southern |
130 Barrows |
Presentation Abstracts
In order by session
Note: All contributed talks will also be presented during the poster session.
S1-1
(Invited) Improvement of student
scientific reasoning skills: The effect of peer review and a lab report rubric
Briana Timmerman, MS, Ph.C.
Director of Biology Undergraduate Program
Department of Biological Sciences
University
The ultimate
achievement of science education is when our students successfully engage in
real scientific investigations. But
real science does not end with the collection of data or production of a
graph. Peer review of science writing is
the quality control mechanism for determining which scientists receive
government funding and whose results are published in scholarly journals. Not only are peer review and science writing
two critical skills for real scientists, but they can also be used to
accelerate student learning and scientific reasoning ability in the
classroom. In this talk I will present
data on how the process of peer review has improved students¹ scientific
reasoning abilities in a freshman biology class. In addition, I have developed a universal
rubric intended for use with science writing (especially lab reports) in any
field of science (available at:
http://www.biol.sc.edu/undergrad/curriculum.html)
and will describe how the rubric has been used to as both an effective teaching
tool and a useful assessment mechanism for tracking students¹ progress in
developing scientific skills over time.
In particular, I will be presenting data on which scientific skills
(e.g. hypothesis development, data analysis, etc.) seem to develop first in
college freshman, which skills are easily mastered and which seem to remain
challenging over time.
S1-2 (Contributed) How student understanding of academic
language relates to achievement in high school chemistry
Peggy LaBrosse
Science Department Coordinator
How
students learn relates to their understanding of language, specifically the
academic language used in instruction, dialog, and assessment. Educators use academic language in the
context of science education without necessarily scaffolding its meaning for
students, which may increase cognitive load (Paas et al., 2003). Learning
science, specifically chemistry, involves three levels — the symbolic, the
submicroscopic, and the macroscopic — laden with technical language (Johnstone, 1991). Many of the
words used in science are metaphors for abstract ideas or words that have a
common meaning as well as a technical meaning.
Thus, in many ways, learning science is like learning a new language. A review of the literature shows that
non-technical words used in science can be troublesome for students. However, the relationship between student
knowledge of non-technical words in science and achievement in chemistry has
not yet been studied.
S1-3
(Invited) New integrative marine
science courses at the
Sara M. Lindsay, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Marine Sciences
Marine Science
is a highly interdisciplinary field, and undergraduate marine science majors at
the
This talk will provide an
overview of the IMS classes, the rationale behind them, challenges of
implementation, and share success stories from the writing-intensive
Integrative Marine Science Seminar and Integrative Marine Science: Physics and
Chemistry classes. Two specific topics will be considered: assessment
strategies that quantify student progress and changes in attitude toward
writing; and integration among the classes to encourage deeper exploration and
understanding of central topics.
S2-1
(Invited) College math and science
performance and ethnicity: Some recent trends and ideas
Eric Hsu, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Mathematics
Much work in the last three
decades has been devoted to increasing the performance of minority students in
college math and science. This talk surveys some of the results, issues and
trends emerging in the last decade. Topics will include the ineffectiveness of
introductory courses, stereotype threat, multi-racial identities, and changes
in class composition within ethnic groups.
S2-2 (Contributed) Teacher professional
development: What do science teachers say they need to engage students in
real research projects?
Molly Schauffler, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Paleoecology, Ecology and Environmental Science Education
University of Maine
During the last decade, high school and middle school science classes and clubs nationwide have engaged in many kinds of local environmental monitoring projects. Guided by their teacher, students learn the science relevant to a particular resource, such as water quality, and apply their knowledge and monitoring skills year after year to the benefit of their own communities. In 2001 - 2002 I interviewed 23 high school science teachers, mostly from New England, about their experiences engaging their students in real environmental research projects. I was interested to hear from them what professional training or personal qualities best prepared them for engaging their students in real science investigations. What do these real research experiences do for students? I also interviewed 8 teachers who had not tried any kind of environmental research project with their students, but who wanted to, to learn what factors held them back. By far the most frequently cited factor that contributed to success (or hindrance) of engaging students in research was the extent (or lack) of the teacher's personal experience or level of confidence with the research process. This observation has led to the development of two different opportunities for teachers to gain personal experience with the process of original scientific research.
S2-3 (Invited) A middle school teacher’s
perspective on standards based mathematics
Meghan
Southworth
Middle School Mathematics Teacher
There has been much talk about
the use of standards based curricula in schools recently. In this presentation, we will take a look at
my experiences in implementing some of these in a middle school setting,. We will also discuss the research-based
foundation of some of these curricula.
S3-1
(Invited) The implementing and evaluating instructional reform in the
urban physics classroom
Mel Sabella, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Physics
Physics Educators have developed a
number of instructional environments to help students resolve robust conceptual
difficulties. Although many of these materials have been shown to be
effective for many students, there is little research documenting improvements
in conceptual understanding for students who attend school and live in an
inner-city environment. In many cases, we find that the needs and resources
the students and teachers in these environments possess are quite different
than those in other settings.
Because of
this, the Physics Program at Chicago State University (CSU) is engaged in two
curriculum development projects to address the needs of teachers and students
in
Support for this project comes
from a National Science Foundation CCLI grant - #0410068, the Illinois
Board of Higher Education-Teacher Quality Enhancement Grant, and the American
Physical Society-Physics on the Road Program (WYP 2005)
S3-2
(Contributed) A
classification scheme for categorizing concept inventories
Rebecca
Lindell, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Physics
Southern
Since the development of the Force Concept Inventory (FCI), there as been a heightened interest in developing other concept inventories to assess students understanding of a phenomena. As more and more of these instruments are created, it must be made self-evident to test users that not all tests are created equal. We claim that there are three non-overlapping types of concept inventories and that the Science education research communities have an obligation, through peer review, to label any concept inventory as one of these three types of tests: (1) Local Tests, (2) Efficacy Tests, and (3) Diagnostic Instruments. We propose these distinctions based on differences in their development methodology. In this talk we will present evidence for this new classification scheme, as well as provide an analysis of the FCI.
S3-3
(Invited) The physical sciences as a basis of
integration: The
Jayne
Fonash, M.A.
Director
of Guidance
The mission of the LCPS Academy of Science is to
provide an academic and nurturing environment where students are encouraged to
develop creative scientific endeavors of their own design, while having the
opportunity to pursue a rich, well-rounded high school experience. Students will acquire skills to ask
sophisticated scientific questions and conduct research and experimentation, to
explore the interconnections between the sciences, math, and the humanities, to
read, write, and communicate at a level that is required of university
students, and to develop perspectives to assess the impact of scientific
advancements on society.
Teachers are selected to be content experts as well as outstanding educators, and are assigned an advisory of incoming students to mentor through their four years at the Academy.
The cornerstone of
science preparation is a 9th/10th grade integrated
science program, which blends the physical sciences of physics, chemistry and
earth science into a seamless, inquiry based lab course in preparation for AP
coursework. The goal of the lab program is student designed investigations
coupled to an in-depth writing/scoring rubric.
In addition, sophomores begin instruction in basic research technique to
be followed by two years of research in a topic of their choosing.
The Math program offers courses from Algebra and Trigonometry
through Multivariable Mathematics. All courses have a heavy component of statistics
and modeling and are taught in terms of practical application in order to
coincide with the science program.
S4-1 (Invited) Have
you ever wondered...
Joe Schwarcz, Ph.D.
Director, McGill Office for Science and Society
Professor of Chemistry
Why for years
and years there were no red M&M's or how they get that maraschino cherry to
float in the syrup inside a Cherry Blossom?
Why does popcorn pop? Why are
there holes in Swiss cheese? Have you
ever considered why there are no nuts or grapes in Grape Nuts Flakes or why
witches supposedly use broomsticks as a method of transportation? Why did Van Gogh mangle his ear? Were Agatha Christie's accounts of dastardly
poisonings based on real science? Can
chocolate really make you fall in love?
After this presentation you'll wonder no more!
S4-2
(Invited) Gender in science and math education
Laura McCullough, Ph.D.
Science Education Program Director
Associate Professor of Physics
University of Wisconsin-Stout
What is the
status of girls and women in science and math at the K-12 level? Is there
a problem? What might be done to make science and math more inviting to
girls and other minorities? This talk will focus on the latest statistics and
research on gender and science/math education.
S5-1
(Invited) Using technology in general
chemistry homework and to assess problem solving skills
Norbert J. Pienta, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Chemistry
Few chemistry
instructors would argue about the value of homework, especially in introductory
courses. Technology now makes electronic
versions particularly attractive in large enrollment courses-students practice
their skills, they get feedback almost immediately, and the instructor's (and
when available, teaching assistants') time can be used in other ways. We will report on data we have collected
about student participation and outcomes using a variety of products and
strategies since 2000. But what is the
evidence that electronic or any homework improves student problem solving
skills? We have created web-based
problems and a set of tools that track students' attempts to solve them. We will report on the use of neural network
analyses and other statistical methods to track the pathways that define
student approaches and outcomes.
Finally, we will present data and discuss the role of cognitive or
memory load in homework or assessment (i.e., exam) questions.
S5-2 (Contributed) Equity issues that affect mathematics teaching and learning with technology
Penelope Dunham, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of
Mathematics
Research
indicates that computers and calculators have great potential to facilitate
learning and transform mathematics instruction at all levels. Yet inequities
that arise from differential access to and use of educational technology can
limit the impact of technology-based instruction for groups characterized by
gender, ethnicity, income level and ability. Equity issues that affect students
may involve differences in: (a) opportunities to learn (physical access); (b)
educational treatment (how technology is used, by whom); and (c) educational
outcomes (effects on achievement, attitudes and motivation). This presentation
will highlight research on inequities in technology access and use at school
and home, discuss how the differences can affect mathematics learning, and
suggest pedagogies that may foster more effective technology use for
under-represented groups in mathematics.
S5-3 (Contributed) Collaborative
learning in an online community of science learners
Arlene Jurewicz Leighton
Online Science Instructor
The
Best
practices in face to face science teaching and learning can happen in a virtual
learning environment. In many instances
more time can be spent reflecting upon and providing feedback on science ideas
generated by both the instructor and participants in a collaborative learning
model.
The
S6-1 (Invited)
Obstacles to calculus: Difficulties with geometry
and visualization
David Meel, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Mathematics
Education
This
talk will discuss some of the difficulties students face when exploring calculus
concepts. In particular, we will examine
problems student have with geometric and visualization capabilities and how
they impact their ability to grapple with particular calculus problems.
By using interviews with students looking at Pythagorean-based problems
in the context of related-rates, students were found to come to the study
of calculus with misconceptions and misunderstandings of geometry that directly
impacted their ability to explore related rate problems.
In particular, students were found to have difficulty understanding
requirements, visualizing change over time, interpreting appropriate solution
strategies, extracting information from geometric figures in non-standard
orientations, integrating multiple perspectives, visualizing in three dimensions,
and applying the Pythagorean Theorem. This study confirms that students are
lacking the adequate geometric skills that are necessary to solve such problems.
In addition, spatial reasoning ability and its development is an important
component that can assist or hinder problem solving. However, students are
developing procedural knowledge rather than conceptual understanding of geometric
topics resulting in weak schemas and mental models surrounding geometry unsupportive
of their ability to succeed in calculus.
S6-2
(Invited) Understanding
the world using models of probability and probability density
Michael C. Wittmann, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
of Physics and Cooperating Assistant Professor of Education
As part of a new
course for non-science majors, Intuitive Quantum Physics, members of the
S7-1
(Invited) Teaching, learning, and understanding
trigonometric functions
Keith Weber, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Mathematics
Education
Trigonometry is
an important course in the high school mathematics curriculum. Understanding
trigonometry is a pre-requisite for studying physics, engineering, and many
branches of advanced mathematics. Further, as trigonometry is one of the first
mathematics courses that integrates algebraic, diagrammatic, and symbolic
reasoning, it can serve as a useful precursor for calculus.
In this
presentation, I will argue that trigonometric operations, such as sine and
cosine, can be understood in two different ways. These operations can be
understood as ratios of the lengths of sides of right triangles.
Alternatively, these operations can be understood as functions that map
angles to real numbers. The goals of my presentation are to: argue that to
fully understand trigonometry, one must understand trigonometric operations as
ratios and functions present data from a research study illustrating that
students in trigonometry courses taught in a traditional manner usually only
understand trigonometric operations as ratios describe instruction that I have
designed to enable students to understand these operations as functions present
data illustrating that this instruction is effective
S7-2 (Contributed) An
investigation into the change in the van Hiele level of understanding geometry
of pre-service elementary and secondary mathematics teachers
Kathleen
Chesley Knight, M.S.
Graduate (2006), UMaine
Master of Science in Teaching Program
In August of 2005 changes to the Secondary Mathematics
Teaching Certificate were implemented which eliminated the requirement for 35
credit hours of undergraduate mathematics in specific content areas such as
geometry, calculus, statistics and probability.
In its place is the requirement for 24 credit hours of mathematics
content and successful completion of the PRAXIS II Mathematics Content
Exam. These rule changes effected this
investigation into the level of understanding geometry of pre-service
elementary and secondary mathematics teachers, based on the van Hiele model,
both before and after completion of the geometry course currently required by
their education program of study.
S7-3
(Invited) Is the derivative a function? Natural language structures
that enhance and hinder student understanding
Michelle Zandieh, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of
Mathematics and Statistics
Is the
derivative a function? This is a trick question, as we can plainly see
from one AP calculus student's response.
Ingrid: It’s just a slope. It’s like — [short
pause] It’s not like y equals something. If you just have a derivative,
the derivative is — I guess you could say — I just keep thinking, cause
you can’t graph just a slope.
Researcher:
Just a slope?
Ingrid: Or you can’t graph a limit. But then
if you say like what’s the derivative. Like on a test, ‘this is the graph
of the derivative.’ I guess it has to be. It could be a function.
In normal
mathematical dialogue we say "derivative" both when we refer to a
function and we refer to a value of that function at a certain point. It
is very common in natural language to have words that have more than one
meaning but whose meanings are closely linked in some way. In
mathematics, however, we typically expect that terms are defined and that once
defined, the only alternative definitions allowed are those that are equivalent
to the original definition. Thus the interplay between natural language
usage of words and mathematical language usage is complicated and the results
may aid or obstruct students' reasoning. In this talk I will use examples
from interviews with AP calculus students to illustrate both powerful and
problematic use of language for students in their understanding of the concept
of derivative in calculus. In particular, I will outline a structured
framework for describing what the mathematics community means by understanding
the concept of derivative at the level of beginning calculus and show how the
natural language construct of metonymy (defined in the talk) and metaphor are
both imperative to student understanding of the key connections involved in
understanding derivative but also are the source of several key misstatements
that students make when discussing the derivative.
Jerry Lipka Ph.D.
Professor of Education